Leominster walks off with squeeze-play victory (video)

LEOMINSTER -- There's a whole lot of fight left in the Leominster American Legion baseball team.

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Leominster has had its fair share of troubles this season and limped into Tuesday night's Zone 4 clash against talented Shrewsbury with a sub-.500 record.

Post 151 appeared to be heading for its eighth loss of the summer, but late-game heroics -- capped by Tanner Jakola's pinch hit, suicide-squeeze bunt -- fueled a dramatic three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning en route to a 6-5 victory at Pin Cannavino Field.

"It's the first time all year that we've had to fight through adversity that we actually came back and won a game," Leominster (6-7) manager Jeff Dedeian said.

It was all about T-E-A-M in this victory.

"We talked from day one about winning as a team, and if that wasn't a team win I don't what is," Dedeian said.

The seventh-inning rally showed how important the entire team is in winning a

game against a deadly Shrewsbury (9-3) Post 397 team that hits and pitches with the best in the zone.

Lefty P.J. Browne worked six strong innings, but was pulled in favor of Jeff Svendson to start the seventh.

With one out, Brett Corliss got Post 151 believing with a line-drive single to left field, and power hitter Brennan Cuddahy followed with a single to right. Fitchburg's Diosmar Reynoso came in to pinch run for Cuddahy, and Corliss eventually scored on Rick Christian's single to left field.

The rally continued as Noah Milliard's grounder to second was thrown into left field, allowing the speedy Reynoso to score the tying run.

Kyle Cuter was intentionally walked and Darius Flowers was on as a pinch runner for Christian (3 for 4, 2 RBIs) at third base.

Dedeian went to his bench once again and inserted Jakola as a pinch hitter.

Post 151 didn't want Jakola to go deep or drive the ball into a gap. Instead, Dedeian instructed Jakola to drop down a bunt, and the recent LHS grad and state champion definitely knows how to execute that small-ball game.

On the second pitch, Jakola placed a perfect suicide squeeze down the third-base line and Flowers motored home for the winning run.

"I was into the game because it was a good game all-around," Jakola said. "Coach told me in the sixth inning that if we had a squeeze situation I was going to squeeze.

"I was in the moment and knew I had to get the job done to win the game."

And, boy, was this a huge win.

"It was big. I think we all really came together and believed," Jakola said. "That's going to be good for momentum in the next couple of games.

"It was probably a must-win against a really good team and we got it done."

Added Milliard: "We win the game in the seventh inning on a suicide squeeze. Leominster baseball. We needed this big-time. We got fired up at the right time and that win is going to really help us out. We're going to go on a run, I can feel it."

Relief pitching was also a big key to victory.

Roland Lapointe took over for starter Marc Poirier, who was victimized by shoddy defense, and twirled 1 1-3 innings of scoreless relief. Nashoba lefty Greg Cavaioli came on to allow only one hit in two scoreless frames with three strikeouts for his first American Legion victory.

"The job that Roland and Greg did coming in after that was huge for us to keep us in the game," Dedeian said.

Shrewsbury led 5-2 into the sixth, but Leominster got much-needed life when Milliard (2 for 3, RBI) rocked a Browne offering over the fence in right field for a solo homer.

"It's the first time all year that we hit a home run, first of all, but that home run -- we needed something, and that was life," Dedeian said. "We had some energy, excitement and life and had that feeling that we had a chance to come back."

Shrewsbury registered seven hits in the first two innings and led 4-0. The damage could have been greater, but Corliss (2 for 4) robbed Scott Manea of a base hit with a great diving grab to end the second inning.

Leominster's Ryan Lever also made a web gem catch at shortstop on a liner to open the top of the seventh.

Kevin Quinlivan, Matt Howard and Jake Quinlivan each had two hits for Shrewsbury.

Follow Chad Garner on Twitter and Tout @CGARNER23

Leominster's Brett Corliss slides safely home during Tuesday's 6-5 win over Shrewsbury at Pin Cannovino Field in Leominster.

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